ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — More than 800 thousand people have a heart attack every year. For 200 thousand of these people, it will be their second heart attack. Poor diet, obesity, and lack of physical activity are leading contributors to a heart attack, but your emotions can also take a toll on your heart.
Every 40 seconds someone in the US has a heart attack. An unhealthy diet and conditions like obesity or diabetes are known factors that can lead to a heart attack. But there’s more …
Richard S. Schwartz, MD Psychiatrist says, “The effect of social isolation and loneliness on our health is as powerful as things like smoking, high blood pressure, obesity.”
In a report from the American Heart Association, researchers found social isolation can increase the risk for a heart attack by 29 percent.
Anger is also not good for your heart. A study from Columbia University found that after being angry, your blood vessels are impaired for up to 40 minutes. This can lead to heart problems and eventually a heart attack.
Even extreme happiness can damage your heart. A European study found that people can have a sudden weakening of the heart muscles after a joyful event like a wedding, surprise party or a sporting event. So, what can you do to keep your emotions from breaking your heart? Try yoga.
Deep breathing during yoga is calming and relieves stress if done regularly. You can also exercise 30 minutes five times a week to improve your heart health and getting together with friends can lower your risk for high blood pressure and a heart attack.
Reverend Bradford Clark says, “Don’t think about it. Just do it. You know, call somebody up and invite them to do something with you.”
For the Columbia University study on anger, the participants involved were all healthy and had no signs of heart disease or other chronic conditions.
Contributors to this news report include: Milvionne Chery, Producer; Chuck Bennethum, Editor.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/data-research/facts-stats/index.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/03/160302204459.htm
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=134&ContentID=165
EMOTIONS TAKE A TOLL ON THE HEART
REPORT #3203
HEART DISEASE: Heart disease is the leading cause of death for most people and kills someone every 33 seconds in the United States. Heart disease includes diseases in blood vessels, heart muscles, and heart valves, as well as arrythmia and congenital heart defects. Each type has different symptoms. The symptoms of blood vessel disease are chest pain, shortness of breath, pain or numbness in limbs, and pain in the upper body (jaw, neck, back, and upper belly). The symptoms of heart muscle and heart valve disease are dizziness, fainting, fatigue, shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, and swollen legs, ankles, and/or feet. The symptoms of arrythmia are fainting, chest pain, dizziness, shortness of breath, and a racing or slow heartbeat. Finally, the symptoms of congenital heart defects are cyanosis (pale gray or blue lips), shortness of breath, and swelling in the legs, belly, and/or eyes. Risks of heart disease include excessive alcohol use, obesity, physical inactivity, unhealthy eating, and diabetes.
(Sources: https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/data-research/facts-stats/index.html
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20353118)
HEART ATTACK: Heart attacks occur when blood flow to the heart is significantly reduced or blocked by plaque or other buildups in the coronary arteries, which kills heart muscle tissue. Symptoms of a heart attack are chest pain, spreading pain, fatigue, cold sweat, heartburn, dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath, and cardiac arrest. Symptoms for women also include sharp pain in the neck, arms, or back. Severity of symptoms vary from person to person, some being severe and some people having no symptoms. While some people get symptoms suddenly, others can have symptoms as far back as weeks in advance, with unrelenting or repeating chest pain being an early warning sign. Call 911 or get to the hospital immediately if you or someone else think they may be having a heart attack, as heart attacks can be deadly. Only drive yourself to the hospital if you have no other options. Other options include taking nitroglycerin or aspirin if prescribed by your doctor and calling 911.
(Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-attack/symptoms-causes/syc-20373106)
STRESS: Stress is the body’s reaction to change and challenges, and there are three mains kinds. First is acute stress, which is short term stress that everyone experiences from positive events like thrill rides or negative events like verbal fights. Next is episodic acute stress, which is stress experienced on a regular basis that doesn’t allow the individual to calm down. Emotions. This kind of stress affects those in high-intensity jobs, like emergency workers. Finally there is chronic stress, which is long-term, continued stress the carries over weeks or months. Chronic stress can be caused by prolonged challenges and can cause health issues in the immune, digestive, cardiovascular, and reproductive systems. For the cardiovascular system, stress can cause high blood pressure. emotions
(Source: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/11874-stress)
* For More Information, Contact: Laura Neves, Senior Public Affairs Specialist
McLean Hospital
(617) 855-2110
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